NHS leaders raise concerns over strike by junior doctors following heatwave

Junior doctors make up half of the medical workforce and it is estimated that strikes have cost the NHS an estimated £3 billion so far, ITV News' Health Correspondent Rebecca Barry reports.

NHS leaders have warned that the service is expecting “major disruption” as junior doctors begin a five-day strike amid a heatwave.

Yellow heat health alerts are in place for many parts of the country and will end at 5pm on Thursday.

Junior doctors will begin their strike at 9am on June 27, with industrial action lasting until July 2, just two days before voters go to the polls.

It will be the eleventh walkout by junior doctors from the British Medical Association (BMA) in England, as the bitter dispute over pay continues

Junior doctors make up half of the medical workforce and their last walkout in February led to 91,048 appointments, procedures and operations being cancelled.

While the weather will become more inclement during the five-day strike, NHS bosses said that the current heatwave has already put a strain on the service.

Major hospitals Guys’ and St Thomas’ and King’s in London are still running at reduced capacity after a cyberattack

The BMA announced that some senior junior doctors would be given permission to work at the hospitals during the walkouts to “prevent dangerous delays to cancer care”.

Posting on X, it said: “To prevent dangerous delays to cancer care, we are granting a derogation for surgical registrars working on high-risk upper GI, head and neck, and lung cancers at three hospital trusts: Lewisham and Greenwich, Guys & St Thomas’ and Kings College Hospital."

Asked about the impact of the cyber attack and the weather, BMA chairman of the council, Professor Philip Banfield, said: “When the junior doctors go on strike, it doesn’t empty the hospital out of doctors, you re-provide what junior doctors are doing with more experienced doctors.

“So you’ve got our SAS colleagues, consultants, so it is a more senior workforce in place, those gaps are not quite what you would expect.

“The cyber attack, they (the hospitals) are not able to do as much of the elective work anyway – that’s going across a six-week period.

“In any heatwave warning, if you end up going to emergency departments because of heat, you will be treated as you would on any normal day, you don’t suddenly end up bringing in lots of doctors.

“If any (hospital) finds that there is a cluster of incidents that need doctors to go back into work, then the junior doctors will go back into work."

On the request for some doctors to continue working during the walkout, Prof Banfield added: “Safe patient care has always been a priority for the BMA during the rounds of industrial action; ensured by giving trusts plenty of notice of the planned strikes, so that more senior doctors provide cover across the strike periods.

“This is why we have agreed with NHS England that a limited number of doctors will be able to work at six sites across London where the recent cyber attack crippled access to lifesaving surgery."

Earlier this week, charity Age UK urged people to look out for older friends and neighbours, saying that certain medical conditions can be exacerbated during a heatwave.

NHS England said that it expects the strike to cause “widespread disruption to routine care and difficulties with discharging patients”, despite extensive preparations.

NHS England’s national medical director, Professor Sir Stephen Powis, said: “This new round of strike action will again hit the NHS very hard, with almost all routine care likely to be affected, and services put under significant pressure.

“While the warmer weather can lead to additional pressure on services at a time when demand for services is already high.

“As ever, we are working to ensure urgent and emergency care is prioritised for patients, but there is no doubt that it becomes harder each time to bring routine services back on track following strikes, and the cumulative effect for patients, staff and the NHS as a whole is enormous.

“People should continue to use 999 in life-threatening emergencies and NHS 111 – on the NHS app, online, or by phone – for other health concerns.

“GP services and pharmacies are also available for patients and can be accessed in the normal way, and patients who haven’t been contacted or informed that their planned appointment has been postponed are also urged to attend as normal.”

Junior doctors have said that they will call off the strike if Prime Minister Rishi Sunak makes a credible commitment to restore their pay.

The BMA has said that junior doctors’ pay has been cut by more than a quarter since 2008.

Matthew Taylor, chief executive of the NHS Confederation, said: “While we fully understand the genuine grievances junior doctors have over their pay, conditions and training, NHS leaders will still be frustrated that they will yet again be taking to the picket lines.

“Holding strikes in the middle of an election campaign when no political party is in a position to bring the dispute to a close is a bitter pill to swallow for staff who have to plug the gaps and patients who will have their appointments cancelled or delayed.

“The BMA should also explain what allowances they will be making for organisations and patients affected by the recent serious cyber attacks.

“With both main parties pledging to restart negotiations immediately upon forming a new government, there is no reason for these strikes to go ahead. We would urge the BMA to wait for a new government to be formed and try to find a compromise.”

Age UK’s charity director, Caroline Abrahams, said the charity is "anxious" about the risk strikes pose to older patients.

“At Age UK we are anxious about the risk strikes pose to older people’s health," they said.

“We know that the NHS is under considerable pressure and older people really value the care and support they receive from their doctors, but ongoing industrial action is simply unsustainable for NHS services and patients alike.

“Older people should not be left in pain as appointments and operations are cancelled or delayed once again and possible illnesses go undetected.

“Every strike action poses a potential risk to patients, among whom older people form the biggest group.

“There needs to be a settlement and we would urge the next Government to make this a day-one priority – in the meantime we would urge junior doctors to call off the strike action and hold tight until then.”

A Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson said: "Patient safety will be the priority during industrial action and the NHS has prepared for these strikes in the usual way.

"NHS England is working closely with unions to discuss any patient safety concerns and ensuring safe staffing for emergency care continues to be available."

About 1.5 million appointments have been postponed since the current wave of industrial action began in the NHS in England in December 2022, which has included walkouts by junior doctors, consultants, paramedics, physiotherapists and other staff groups

It is estimated that strikes have cost the NHS an estimated £3 billion.

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